A lasting and enduring love affair: ranch dressing

[Carrot Top]

PS

Several years ago, we were sponsors of a visiting Colonel from Nigeria, here for training at the local Army base.   We took him lots of places during his stay here, and the Army group took the visitors to several of the highlights of our country:  Washington, Statue of Liberty, DISNEYWORLD, for Heaven's sake!!

On their last night in town, we had the group to dinner and casually asked what they had enjoyed most about America.   Our friend enthusiastically replied, "Marsh!"

My husband and I were discussing the evening after everyone left, and I mentioned his strange, but sweetly envious, answer.   Hubby pointed out that his pictures of home plainly showed that HIS wife purchased their dinner out of someone's LAP on the sidewalk.

So don't knock the A&P.

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Marsh?????

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I think he was saying "Much!"

[*Deborah*]

Or perhaps marché, or market.

[racheld]

Marsh is an Indiana chain, very large, everything you can think of to cook, terrific bakery, nice deli goods, super produce and meat markets.

I almost explained it in above post, but guess I was on a roll to finish.

But I love all the guesses, and all are sort of apropos.

And it was the abundance and the CLEAN of it which moved him to say that. He had tears in his eyes when he was actually in the store.

Edited August 7, 2005 by racheld (log)

[bergerka]

I guess my cynical response is that Americans have terrible tastes. Witness the typical American supermarket.

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I would say your taste buds are obviously not refined enough to appreciate the subtle, salty, sour-cream-tastic herbaceous glory that is...powdered ranch dip.

K

[marlena spieler]

I guess my cynical response is that Americans have terrible tastes. Witness the typical American supermarket.

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.............. I think the typical European eats better than the typical American. Fresh breads, complex and varied cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables compared with Fruit Loops, Kraft singles, and salads composed of iceberg lettuce and one eighth of a tomato, drowned in ranch dressing.

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NOT where i live (english countryside of Hampshire). The only restaurant in town that is crowded on a friday night is the KFC and then the line is out the door.

no good bread--you would not believe how much sliced white bread is eaten here, it is considered normal bread!!!!! I never even tasted it before we moved here! meanwhile, whatever bread that is edible (though packaged in plastic) is from a supermarket and the same as wherever other supermarkets up and down the land have it (though i take special trips up to london to purchase poilane bread, and greek/turkish breads, etc), and the fruits and vegetables are trucked in from all over the country, and just never as fresh as they might be. ugh and go to restaurants, the food has a nasty whiff which reflects the bad fats used. and most of the country lives on packed meals (like frozen but not frozen). when i go out of the country i often go on to fruit salad binges, just to get my fill of vitamins that i can feel missing in my diet, in my body(the exception being right now there are good italian peaches/nectarines in the supermarket).

even the great capital of london, touted by gourmet magazine as the best place in the world, is only a good place to eat for a few. the rest make do with food i don't think you would consider a healthy or inspiring diet.

perhaps the typical americans you eat with and watch eat are very different than the ones i do (which is probably true, my home bases in usa are s.f. and nyc) and perhaps you spend more time in europe in places like france, italy, greece, where indeed people do eat fruits and vegetables like crazy, and i'm sure other places too.

but the average british diet is even worse than the usa one. except they have some lovely farmhouse cheeses! really good ones.

marlena

ps: i LIKE ranch dressing (but NEVER from a bottle, tooooo slimey, often that is the only thing to dress the salad of iceberg lettuce my mother serves when i go visit--i have to request a lemon wedge instead). when we first moved to britain i used to mix it up myself, and still do on occasion: mayo, greek yogurt, chopped garlic, a little bit of stock cube, chopped parsley and a few drops of lemon and a little olive oil.

around that time i did a radio programme, on either womans hour or the food programme, on these creamy dressings: blue cheese, ranch, etc. i whipped it up and my co-presenters loved it!

[zilla369]

There's an old pantry line joke that starts out "You know how you get a redneck to give you a blow job?. . ."

At the first fine dining restaurant I worked at, we didn't offer ranch dressing. The chef didn't want it on the menu or on the salads. But we ended up making it (the servers just couldn't bear to tell the guests it wasn't available - if they asked for it, we had to break out the packet o' spices), at least once a service. There's at least one in every crowd.

In my current job, we buy the commercial ranch, whereas we make all our other dressings. However, I would say that ranch is the dressing of choice at least half the time when you offer it up front.

I get mad when I ask for blue cheese dressing and what shows up on my plate is ranch with some blue cheese crumbles mixed in. Blech.

[kdl1221]

bergerka said:

 

Edited July 14, 2019 by kdl1221 (log)

[Jaymes]

I'm American. Yes, it's national stereotyping. Obviously there are exceptions. Still I think the typical European eats better than the typical American. Fresh breads, complex and varied cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables compared with Fruit Loops, Kraft singles, and salads composed of iceberg lettuce and one eighth of a tomato, drowned in ranch dressing.

I hate that cliched 'Europeans are better' stuff. Frankly, I lived in Germany and I'd take Fruit Loops, Kraft Singles and, especially, salads composed of iceberg lettuce and one eighth of a tomato (ranch dressing on the side, however), over something I often saw in Germany: slice of white bread, completely soaked and saturated in some sort of meat drippings (usually sausage or bacon grease), and then fried in more grease, and served sometimes with more grease-based gravy over the top, but usually not. And sometimes with meat on the side, but usually not. Just basically grease fried in grease, with just enough dough to hold all that grease together. Grease on grease in grease.

Yuck.

It's been my experience, having lived literally all over the world, that every country has its 'good eaters,' and its 'simple crap' eaters. Sweeping generalizations are rarely accurate.

And some years back, I read an interview of some Soviet bigwig that had defected. He said something akin to, "You people in the West think it's the lure of your cars and televisions and other consumer products. But it's not. It's your supermarkets that bring us to our knees."

And I know just what he means.

I, too, have been brought to tears walking through a Safeway or Piggly Wiggly right after having returned from living in some foreign country or another.

It's all here. Whether or not you choose the "Fruit Loops and Kraft Singles," or something more "complex and varied" is up to you. It's here and available to all if you want it.

Something that most certainly cannot be said for the majority of countries on this planet.

Edited August 7, 2005 by Jaymes (log)

[lesfen]

I am one of those freaks that enjoys a dry salad, with a little bit of salt, but every once in a great while I do have to indulge in a little ranch dressing. I have to thin it out tho'. I'm have a texture thing and glops of ranch just don't do it for me. I keep an old Good Season's carafe on hand and thin out a little bottled ranch (Hidden Valley, baby) with milk so that I can drizzle it onto my salad.

[Gifted Gourmet]

"You people in the West think it's the lure of your cars and televisions and other consumer products.  But it's not.  It's your supermarkets that bring us to our knees."

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I remember that when the USSR became a democracy, they sent teams of grocery manager-level people abroad to see how things were done elsewhere to emulate. They were astonished at the enormous variety that existed in our stores. One said, translated, "Twenty-five brands of green beans? Unbelievable!" ... I never forget what a pleasure this country provides in its opulence of market choices ...

[bergerka]

I'm American. Yes, it's national stereotyping. Obviously there are exceptions. Still I think the typical European eats better than the typical American. Fresh breads, complex and varied cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables compared with Fruit Loops, Kraft singles, and salads composed of iceberg lettuce and one eighth of a tomato, drowned in ranch dressing.

I hate that cliched 'Europeans are better' stuff. Frankly, I lived in Germany and I'd take Fruit Loops, Kraft Singles and, especially, salads composed of iceberg lettuce and one eighth of a tomato (ranch dressing on the side, however), over something I often saw in Germany: slice of white bread, completely soaked and saturated in some sort of meat drippings (usually sausage or bacon grease), and then fried in more grease, and served sometimes with more grease-based gravy over the top, but usually not. And sometimes with meat on the side, but usually not. Just basically grease fried in grease, with just enough dough to hold all that grease together. Grease on grease in grease.

Yuck.

It's been my experience, having lived literally all over the world, that every country has its 'good eaters,' and its 'simple crap' eaters. Sweeping generalizations are rarely accurate.

Agreed, and in fairness, I think we're talking about two different subjects here, one being the unfortunate marketing of both "fast" or highly processed food plus the "more is better" ethic that seems to predominate in American commercials and subsequent expectations of seeing aisles full of sixteen different kinds of ketchup (not that there's anything wrong with that, but Heinz still wins), often at the expense of quality, and the expectation of seeing huge portions on the plate (as expressed in another thread), ditto; and the other being the deliciousness of ranch dressing/ranch dip/all things Hidden Valley Ranch.

For the record, she said defensively, I live in probably the number one food city in the United States, with a guy who is an absolutely fantastic cook. I eat a huge variety of foods including tons of fruits and veggies - as, I imagine, do most of the posters to this thread. I shop at the local greenmarket whenever possible (in fact, I just had to desert the keyboard to wipe the juice from an INCREDIBLE peach off my hands, face and shirt!)...and none of this stops me from zipping out to the local Gristede's before football starts on Sunday afternoon (thank god it's almost f-ball season again) and picking up some Ruffles (or Lay's, or whatever. Fancy chips, though, just don't go with ranch dip), some sour cream, and a packet o' Hidden Valley...and it takes me right back to my first apartment, in college. I loved that apartment, my roommates, and the freedom that came with being out on my own.

The short version of the above is, I think we run the great risk of taking this discussion far too seriously. Ranch dressing/dip tastes good and serves as a great reminder of my college days. That's why I like it. It has nothing whatsoever to do with my eating habits and I think it would be a mistake to turn this thread into a semi-spurious indictment of the eating habits of either Americans or any other country's occupants.

I might just also add that I see nothing wrong with white bread saturated in sausage grease, fried in more grease, and covered with gravy, and if you can tell me where that restaurant in Germany is I'll be heading right over.

K

[chromedome]

A slice of bread smothered in fat...a salad smothered in fat...I don't really see much difference. I suspect that, given a choice between salad w/ranch or bread w/dripping, I'd lean toward bread with dripping, but that's just me.

I don't have strong feelings about ranch dressing either way. It's rich, bland, a little bit tangy; adds flavour and mouthfeel without being "challenging." The appeal isn't really all that mysterious, it's a mainstream cognate to the sour cream/creme fraiche/labneh so widely used elsewhere.

[kiliki]

The buttermilk ranch dry mix, made with half as much mayo as they call for so it's fairly runny, not gloppy...it's my favorite junk food and just about the only time I'll buy something with unrecognizable, unpronouncable ingredients.

[Jaymes]

I might just also add that I see nothing wrong with white bread saturated in sausage grease, fried in more grease, and covered with gravy, and if you can tell me where that restaurant in Germany is I'll be heading right over.

Yep. Nothing wrong with eating a cup of bacon grease.

Never saw it in a restaurant, though. It was more a 'just folks' type of thing.

But don't fret. You can fix it for yourself. It's quite easy. Here's what you do: Get an empty tin can and keep it handy on the counter right beside your stove. Pour your sausage and/or bacon drippings into it every morning until you've got at least a cupful. On serving day, heat the fat until it's liquid. Slice off one or two good chunks of white bread. Let them soak in the warm fat until they're completely saturated. Then pour more fat into your skillet and when it's sizzling hot, add the bread and fry it until it's nice and crispy on both sides. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and you've got it.

Get back with me, will you, and let me know how you liked it?

And, according to our housekeeper, who ate it every single morning in winter, all that grease "keeps you warm."

No small feat in Germany's brutal winters.

Look y'all, I'm not saying that fried bacon grease can't be tasty, but it hardly fits with the (equally stereotypical) description of "the average European" eating their vastly superior "fresh breads, complex and varied cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables."

Which was my point.

Silly to pass sweeping judgments, you know. Either way.

I'm just saying.

Edited August 8, 2005 by Jaymes (log)

[snowangel]

Peter returned from Camp on Friday. He said, with pride that he had discovered a great new food: "bananas dipped in ranch."

Whatever floats your boat, I figure.

And, to echo what Jaymes said: if it is brutally cold, lots of fat in the diet does keep you warmer. I know.

[hjshorter]

I guess my cynical response is that Americans have terrible tastes. Witness the typical American supermarket.

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Yeah, of course.

I hated ranch dressing until I made my own: buttermilk, mayo, a little sour cream, fresh dill, chervil, chives, S & P, maybe a little garlic. It makes a great dip, and cole slaw dressing.

[Katie Nell]

NOT where i live (english countryside of Hampshire). The only restaurant in town that is crowded on a friday night is the KFC and then the line is out the door.

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I was in England (London, Hampshire, Bath, and Stratford) about 12 years ago, and although I was 13 at the time, I thought the food pretty awful! (Everything else was wonderful and I can't wait to go back!) I was excited to see the articles in Gourmet praising England, for I thought things had changed! Are you telling me it isn't so?!? I do have to say that the Pizza Huts, KFCs and such tasted a lot better over there than they do in America, but maybe we were just starving...

As for the ranch controversy... I love going to restaurants where they make their own dressings, but so many restaurants don't, and then I usually resort to ranch! I do, however, like it with french fries, but I also like a good aioli too, so I'm not completely unrefined!

[Behemoth]

And, according to our housekeeper, who ate it every single morning in winter, all that grease "keeps you warm."

Might be more of a class* issue than a nationality issue. It may very well also be an age thing. I've found it really differs by household, no matter where you are. For better or for worse, I've found that Germany and England are actually very comparable to the US in terms of how people eat, possibly because so many of us come from there. Ha, okay not me but normal U.S. people.

Anyway, back to ranch. I've never had it. I like buttermilk but don't like mayo on salad. I like the potato chips but given a choice I will always go with nacho orange.

*Lacking a better word for it. I mean income level, education, city of residence, circle of friends, exposure to other cultures etc.

Edited August 8, 2005 by Behemoth (log)

[marlena spieler]

NOT where i live (english countryside of Hampshire). The only restaurant in town that is crowded on a friday night is the KFC and then the line is out the door.

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I was in England (London, Hampshire, Bath, and Stratford) about 12 years ago, and although I was 13 at the time, I thought the food pretty awful! (Everything else was wonderful and I can't wait to go back!) I was excited to see the articles in Gourmet praising England, for I thought things had changed! Are you telling me it isn't so?!? I do have to say that the Pizza Huts, KFCs and such tasted a lot better over there than they do in America, but maybe we were just starving...

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Good food is the exception rather than the rule. i've lived in inner city east end london, and now in the hampshire countryside. its just not a really delicious place, although i'm sure there are pockets of people who are foodies, and resources of good food.

There ARE some wonderful restaurants in london etc but they are very very trendy and expensive. there are also a few terrific ethnic turkish salady kebab places et al and of course indian restos which can all be really good.....

but most places to eat you probably don't want to. in the great majority of towns, regions, areas of london, etc are just not good places to eat. and its not just restaurants, i mean, sometimes go to peoples houses for dinner, i'm not naming names, but even some famous ones, but also regular people, some even consider themselves foodies, and its just not a pleasure. especially if they've bought in any of the dips, sauces, ready prepared: ugh.

When i taste UK storebought dips (except for the occasional humus) i usually gag. OH GIVE ME A RANCH DRESSING ANY DAY ! (but not from a bottle please).

and you're right that junk food and chains and esp mcdonalds took such a strong hold on the uk is because then they came here, they really really were a cut above the ordinary stuff that people ate. and because the idea of eating healthfully was just something that wacky californians who were out of their minds did.

britain opened their arms to fast food chains cause it really was better than anything else going. and sometimes, too often i'm afraid to say, it still is. witness my local kfc's popularity. and hey, its a friday night: if i had a camera i'd go out and take some photos!

There is a new sort of wine bar cafe in the next to us village, but a burger for two, a shared started and shared dessert lunch with two glasses of wine each, no coffee, will run L45.00 (thats almost $90 bucks). the burger is teeeeeny , though excellent meat, albrit bizarrely seasoned with cumin, and cooked way overdone. grey. not worth 90 bucks.

otherwise the local posh place where people go for lunch or coffee is the local cafe in waitrose. oh woe is me, things really haven't changed enough! not for someone who loves good food! except the sandwiches are better.

and there is a lot less food poisoning. i mean, food hygiene really has come a long long way......

x marlena

[Aileen]

My daughters love Ranch, my younger daughter (6) would eat a salad almost every day if she can have Ranch on it. I like it, both as a dressing and a dip, but I've never loved it. (I'm a Blue Cheese person, myself.)

When I was in Cologne (Koln) for work a few years ago we ate lunch at a steak house. They had a salad bar with various dressings, and the labels were in German and English. One label said "American" - I just had to try it. It was Ranch.

[MGLloyd]

Might be more of a class* issue than a nationality issue.

Lacking a better word for it. I mean income level, education, city of residence, circle of friends, exposure to other cultures etc.

Having co-written a few grant applications back in the day, 'socioeconomic status' is a more common term, and avoids those, er, 'class' distinctions.

[Behemoth]

Might be more of a class* issue than a nationality issue.

Lacking a better word for it. I mean income level, education, city of residence, circle of friends, exposure to other cultures etc.

Having co-written a few grant applications back in the day, 'socioeconomic status' is a more common term, and avoids those, er, 'class' distinctions.

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D'oh, thanks, I should know that. It's been a while since I've taken any social sciences classes. I'm all about the anti-social sciences these days.

[malarkey]

I recently made homemade green goddess and wow - it's a FABULOUS dressing and a far cry from what came out of the Seven Seas bottle. Made me wonder about homemade ranch... anybody got any good recipes??

[Toliver]

The buttermilk ranch dry mix, made with half as much mayo as they call for so it's fairly runny...

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Ah, I see you've eaten at Stuart Anderson's Black Angus...where they water down the Ranch Dressing until it's thinner than the iced tea in your glass. When Ranch dressing is badly made, it's enough to bring a tear to my eye.

My family used to buy the dry packets of the original Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing and make it ourselves. I'd be curious to find a recipe that can truly duplicate the flavor and viscosity (doesn't that sound appetizing? ) of the original.

[Tkrup]

Ranch dressing is an......abomination.